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Opening hours

Opening hours

All reading rooms in the Library are open Monday to Friday at the times detailed below. The Main, Petherick, Newspapers and Microforms Reading Rooms are also open on weekends and most public holidays. Other public areas of the Library including the Treasures Gallery, the Exhibition Gallery, Bookshop and bookplate café are also open Monday to Friday, on weekends and public holidays.

We operate closed book stacks and this means readers can't browse the Library shelves to retrieve material. Instead, readers use the Catalogue to find and order what they need from our collections. That material is then delivered to the relevant reading room within the time frames given in our Collection Delivery Service schedule.

Main Reading Room
Day Opening hours
Monday to Thursday 9.00am - 9.00pm
Friday and Saturday 9.00am - 5.00pm
Sunday 1.30pm - 5.00pm
We recommend readers pre-order material for use as there is no collection delivery service on Sunday.
Petherick Reading Room
Day Opening hours
Monday to Thursday 9.00am - 9.00pm
Friday and Saturday 9.00am - 5.00pm
Sunday 1.30pm - 5.00pm
Open only to registered Petherick Readers.
Day Opening hours
Newspapers and Microforms Reading Room
Monday to Saturday 9.00am - 5.00pm
Sunday Closed

Items may be requested until 30 minutes prior to closing time. After hours access to some collection material is possible by prior arrangement.

Other reading rooms - Asian Collections, Maps, Pictures and Manuscripts
Day Opening hours
Monday to Friday 9.00am - 5.00pm
Saturday to Sunday Closed
Public holidays Closed

After hours access to some collection material is possible by prior arrangement.

Treasures Gallery and Exhibitions Gallery
Day Regular opening hours
Daily 10.00am - 5.00pm

Public holiday opening hours

The Library building is closed on Good Friday and Christmas Day. Other public holiday opening times are outlined below:

Reading rooms

The Main, Petherick and Newspapers and Microforms Reading Rooms are open from 9.00am - 5.00pm on all public holidays except Good Friday, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day.

The Pictures, Manuscripts, Maps and Asian Collections Reading Rooms are closed on all public holidays.

Collection delivery service

On public holidays, the collection delivery service to the Main and Petherick Reading Rooms operates between 9.00am and 3.45pm. The Newspapers and Microforms Reading Room service operates between 9.00am and 4.30pm.

Foyer, bookshop and cafés

The Bookshop and Foyer are closed on Good Friday and Christmas Day. On all other public holidays the Bookshop and Foyer are open from 9.00am–5.00pm.

The bookplate café is closed on Good Friday, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Galleries

The Treasures Gallery and the Exhibition Gallery are closed on Good Friday and Christmas Day. On all other public holidays the Galleries are open from 10.00am–5.00pm.

2012 Public holidays

  • Monday 2 January 2012 - New Years Day (substitute for Sunday 1 January)
  • Thursday 26 January 2012 - Australia Day
  • Monday 12 March 2012 - Canberra Day
  • Friday 6 April 2012 - Good Friday
  • Saturday 7 April 2012 - Easter Saturday
  • Monday 9 April 2012 - Easter Monday
  • Wednesday 25 April 2012 - Anzac Day
  • Monday 11 June 2012 - Queen's Birthday
  • Monday 1 October 2012 - Labour Day
  • Monday 8 October 2012 - Family & Community Day
  • Tuesday 25 December 2012 - Christmas Day
  • Wednesday 26 December 2012 - Boxing Day